And He Walks With Me: Nighttime Nuggets

The hardest time for me to take a moment and rest before my King is at night.  By them time I'm home, dinner is finished, I've got the dishes done, taken a shower, prepared for the next day, and gotten in bed, I am beyond ready to lay my head down and just fall asleep.  (And I don't even have kids!)  Sadly, the last thing I want to do is to set aside a few minutes during the course of all the evening chaos so that I can rest in Jesus.  I want to find rest in just zoning out in front of the tv watching some Netflix.  

But that never satisfies my soul.

If I can get up in the morning and spend some time in the Word and meet with Jesus in the middle of the day, why can't I tell him goodnight?  Why does that seem so unnecessary?  After all, I'm just going to sleep.

If you're anything like me, your mind starts racing as your body is ready to go to bed for the day.  The brain has no "off" switch.  I find myself dwelling on things that happened earlier in the day whether it's good or bad.  I worry about what tomorrow will bring and if I've done everything to prepare.  I worry about what's going on in the lives of my family and friends.  I wonder if I was sure to turn off the oven or stove.  Oh, and I should go to the restroom just one more time so I don't have to get up in the middle of the night like an old lady.  

The way this subsides is if I will take time to carry all the junk of the day and leave it at the cross.  It's not my burden to carry; it's my King's.  It is imperative that I take time each evening before bed to find true rest in my Savior rather than in an episode of "Friends" I have seen a hundred and seventy five times.  

Most often, my nighttime is my prayer time.  I often pray through the things that have come up throughout the day.  I try to find scripture that matches what I'm dealing with to pray back to the Father because I can rest in the fact that it is truth.  As I pray that scripture, the Lord reveals important truths to me.  He lets me in on his secrets of how to deal with situations.  He exposes where I may be the problem as I neglect to trust him or point out others' sins before I examine myself.  I thank him for the good things throughout the day.  Some days, that's easier than others, but I'm learning to always find something.  I usually end by submitting the following morning to him, as I know I love to press that snooze button.  I find it easier to drift to sleep when I'm not trying to carry all of my burdens.  My soul is satisfied and restful.

The following morning, I start back over.  The next day, his mercies are new, and so is my day.  While I may have grown as I read the Word, retreated into his safety, and rested in him the previous day, the devil hasn't taken the day off.  I need Jesus just as much today as I did yesterday, and he is going to walk with me each day as I press into him.  

As we strive to press into the Savior throughout the day, we will continually find him.  He is there. His Word says that he hears us morning, noon, and night.  And I know for a fact that I need him morning, noon, and night, so I will walk with him throughout the day that I may grow in relationship with him and focus intentionally on him.

Because He walks with me.